ALLEN PARK -- Perhaps one of the biggest questions about the Detroit Lions disappointing 1-3 season so far, is that Matthew Stafford hasn't connected with Calvin Johnson for a touchdown pass in the first four games.

It could explain the 1-3 record.

"Baffling? I don't know, obviously you want to throw him the ball, get touchdowns on the board,'' Stafford said on Wednesday. "We have to find ways to get it done whether it's Calvin or (Brandon) Pettigrew or Nate (Burleson) or Titus (Young), whoever it is it doesn't matter.

"We have to get the ball in the end zone and obviously he's a big-time weapon for us and in the past has gotten the ball in the end zone for us a bunch, we'll see,'' Stafford said.

In the first four games of the 2011 season, Johnson had two touchdown catches in each game. All four of them were wins. He finished the season with a career-high 16 touchdown catches. This year he's accumulated 423 yards averaging 14.6 yards per catch. Zero touchdowns, though.

It's not that the Lions offense is playing awful. They average 412.3 yards per game which is third best in the NFL. They just have trouble scoring.

The Lions might get a little break against the Eagles' defense in Philadelphia on Sunday.

When Stafford was asked if he expected to finally see single coverage on the edges, he crossed his fingers on both hands.

"I don't know we'll see, every team is different, these guys have corners that can play. You look at them on tape they're shutting guys down doing a heckuva job,'' Stafford said. "We'll see. We have to go into the game, figure out what's going on and try to adjust.''

Stafford had only good things to say about Eagles' cornerbacks Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie and Nnamdi Asomugha.

Cromartie is an aggressive guy who can play the ball really well,'' Stafford said. "Nnamdi is long and just tough to find windows to throw the ball in on him. He's a great player. Those two guys are equally really good.''

They are part of the reason the Eagles' defense has posted the fourth lowest touchdown percentage (31.3) in the NFL in the red zone.

In the first four games, Stafford said the Lions have seen cover 1, single-high coverage on five snaps.

If the Eagles do single up it could make a difference.

"I don't know, I don't think it's a whole lot different. Downfield too, but also being able to catch and run and not have four guys still back there that you have to try and break a tackle on,'' Stafford said.

"I mean that's one of the benefits of teams playing soft is if we catch it they still have four or five guys ready to rally to the ball. If you've got one guy back there you make a guy miss and it's a big play. It's obviously the pros and cons of man coverage and zone coverage, we could be here all day,'' Stafford said.

Even though the offense is third-best in the league, it's the passing game (322 yards per game) that is carrying it. The Lions only average 90.2 yards per game rushing.

Getting the running game going will help get the Lions on the scoreboard. That's up to Mikel Leshoure who ran for 100 yards in his debut, but was held to 26 yards in the loss to the Minnesota Vikings.

His longest run against the Vikings (14 yards) ended with a fumble recovered by Minnesota. In his first two games he hasn't had a burst of more than 12 yards.

"We've been really efficient running the ball the last couple games, but we need explosive plays whether it be through the run or the pass we don't really care honestly,'' Stafford said. "To tell you what it is, we just want plays of 20 yards or more, those equal points in this league. The more and more you can do of those, the more and more points you're going to score and that gives you a better chance to win it.''

If it's Stafford to Johnson all the better.

It's going to happen this season. No one expected it would not happen in the first four games.